(1811-1860) John was born in Bohemia, modern-day Czech Republic, and was named after Saint John Nepomucene, a Bohemian priest famous for refusing to disclose the queen’s confession. He went to seminary in Prague, was ordained a priest in New York, joined the Redemptorists, and became bishop of Philadelphia. John spoke 12 languages, built 50 churches, opened almost 100 schools, and wrote two catechisms. He was the first American male and first American bishop to be canonized.
The Church was alive and well in John’s native land, so he became a missionary to the United States. When he arrived in New York, there were 36 priests serving 200,000 Catholics in New York and New Jersey alone. Have you considered starting a 12-step group in your area where there might not be one? How do you serve your current fellowship?
“Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random…God sees every one of us, He creates every soul for a purpose” (Saint John Nepomucene Neumann).
Reflection by Brad Farmer